SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS - 100 Days, 100 Nights - 2007 - Album review

SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS
100 Days, 100 Nights – 2007 – Album review
HIGHLIGHTS:
100 Days, 100 Nights – Let Them Knock – Answer Me
SOUNDBITE: “Let them knock upon my door/ Until they hands are black and blue/ I’m not answering for no-one/ Until my man and I are through”
RATING: 3.5/5
According to Sharon it takes ‘100 days and 100 nights to know a man’s heart and a little more before he knows his own’ – despite this, it only took me a couple of listens to decide that 100 Days wasn’t as quite as good as it’s predecessor. That’s the bad news – the good news is that you still can’t get soul funk authenticity to compare with this unless you have access to a time machine. The Dap Kings' musicianship has been in great demand recently - backing Amy Winehouse (which according to rumour has caused some friction with the mighty Sharon), helping out Jurassic 5 and - the horn section at least – providing the only sense of an authentic soul touch to Mark Ronson’s recent Version LP. Their star is on the up and it’s hard to talk about them without bringing up latter day soul queen Sharon Jones. High time for them to have a massive crossover LP and Naturally would’ve been the perfect one. Unfortunately, that was their last LP and it had dancefloor hits, a greater variety of styles and more good tunes. Whereas that LP drew from late sixties to early seventies soul and funk, nothing about 100 Days… sounds post 1969 – in fact - nothing really sounds post 1965. Sure they’ve still got the funky bumps – second track Nobody’s Baby brings the sauce and last track Answer Me engages in the kind of piano funk that Dr John and The Meters created on In The Right Place but nothing has the energy of Naturally’s My Man Is A Mean Man or Your Thing Is A Drag. Basically, the soul part of the equation is heavier than the funk part this time around - in fact one of the best tracks is the soulful swing of Let Them Knock where Sharon’s voice gets a full workout. Less one for the dancefloor than as an accompaniment to a night in with the missus though.
Out now.
RELATED LINKS
Listen to Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Myspace
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